[samson]

I will soon be dragging my butt across the country. I am planning on driving my MO the distance while towing a 5x8 trailer. Now I've read the other hitch threads and all.....now I need to come to a decision......

I really like how the nissan hitch is hidden, but I was wondering if hitches other than the OEM can be hidden with the purchase of the armature assembly that Nissan sells. Now according to Enforcer, the Nissan OEM hitch needs the armature for notches.....but will these notches work for another brand and perhaps hide it just as well......has anyone thought about that one.....????? If you have I'd like to know about it.......

That OEM looks so nice, but costs so dang much....I'm not really planning on using the hitch much more, but once I get it put on I don't really think it would be worth it to just take it off once it's been wired in ......I might make use of it though once I have it.....

 

[VRSCA]

It won't make a difference and here's why:

The hitch attaches to threaded holes already present in the frame/body. In order to get the hitch to clear the bottom of the bumper, a certain distance to the hitch crossmember is required. Nissan chose to use a smaller distance (call it a downtube if you will), but requires notches to clear the bumper carrier, whereas the aftermarket ones are longer to avoid this. If you went with an aftermarket hitch, the use of a notched carrier wouldn't affect things as that's not the attachment point.

Personally i like the Nissan one better, but couldn't really see spending that much more. The big difference in cost is not the hitch itself, but the fact that you need to buy the notched carrier, so if you're thinking about an aftermarket hitch and Nissan's notched carrier, you'd be looking at about the same cost.

I went with the Curt hitch (ebay for $100) and the Nissan harness for $100. So far $200 total i now have a hitch that hangs lower than Nissan's, but IMO doesn't look too bad (it's pretty much level between the two exhaust pipes).

 

[mgthe3]

actually....

You could even get away with less than $200 if you did something like what Enforcer did for the wiring:
http://www.nissanmurano.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=382

Pics and everything. I have actualy saved everything because this is the route I am going, and, a billion times easier than running the Nissan wiring harness.

 

[dklanecky1]

Valley Hitch. This view is from ground level. It's no where as noticeable from a normal viewing perspective. Not as Hidden as the OE model, but also no where near $500.

 

[SugarRushMurano]

dklanecky1, where di you get..

Valley Hitch. This view is from ground level. It's no where as noticeable from a normal viewing perspective. Not as Hidden as the OE model, but also no where near $500

dklanecky1, where di you get the hitch?
how much? self install or have some one else to install it for how much?

 

[beemer-biker]

[QUOTE
Valley Hitch. This view is from ground level. It's no where as noticeable from a normal viewing perspective. Not as Hidden as the OE model, but also no where near $500. [/B][/QUOTE]

I had mine color-matched, painted, not powder-coated as I couldn't find a color close enough. A pic of it is in the original thread. Color-matched, it doesn't look so much like an eye soar, and it is fairly well hidden from view. It is the Curt Mfg. hitch, about $100 or so, I think.

 

[mgthe3]

and I should also mention...

David Hart
He posted a pictorial step by step for the modulite.
http://www.lakeutopia.com/dhart/PhotoAlbum/TrailerWiring/lakeutopia.htm

 

[dklanecky1]

Enforcer has them all here:

http://www.nissanmurano.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1185&highlight=valley+hitch

Mine was installed by a local hitch installer (The Hitching Post) honest! If I recall correctly it was $212 installed. I did the Nissan wiring harness myself and it was $99 more.